英語聽力小短文走遍全世界40: 非洲移民的艱難歷程

英語聽力原文：

Thousands of migrants are taking advantage of summer weather and calm seas to try to cross from Africa to Europe. One of the most frequently used routes is from the North West Africa to the Spanish Canary Islands.

成千上萬的難民正利用夏季炎熱的天氣和平靜的海面，奮力地從非洲轉(zhuǎn)移到歐洲去。他們最常用的路線是從西北非到達(dá)西班牙的加那利群島。

Many hundred of migrants have made it in the past few weeks and camps built to house them there are now severely over crowded. Mark Wichika has been in Senegal where attempts are now been made to stop young men put into sea in search of a better life in Europe.

在過去的幾周里成千的難民已經(jīng)成功登陸了加那利群島，在那里建立了他們的家園，現(xiàn)在那里已經(jīng)異常的擁擠。馬可·維克卡去過塞內(nèi)加爾，在那里人們正試圖阻止那些要從海上進(jìn)入歐洲尋求更好生活的年輕人。

Mark Wichika: On a wind Pulmo beach where the edgy Africans slide via the Atlantic pounding surf, dusk was falling. A man beckoned on me after the wind, he said his name was Mohammed. But first, I thought he was trying to sell me something, but he re-crouched behind one of his brightly painted fishing boats drawn upon the sands. He pulled from his purse a tightly folded scrap of paper, drawn from a notepad.

馬可·維克卡：在風(fēng)浪很大的普爾默海岸邊，急躁的非洲人駕駛著小船隨著大西洋海浪的沖擊而滑行，黃昏要來臨了。在風(fēng)浪平靜下來后，一個人朝我招手，他說他的名字叫穆罕默德。起先我還以為他要賣給我些什么，但是他從停擱在沙灘上的涂畫艷麗的小船里出來，從錢包里拿出一張嚴(yán)嚴(yán)實(shí)實(shí)折疊著的碎紙，這張紙是從筆記本上撕下來的。

It was clear he was eager for me to see it, but he handled it with extravagant care. As if it is a vital shred of some ancient treasure map. Unfold he placed it in my hand. The paper was thin and limp from constant handling. But on it, was written the man's name and address.

很顯然，他急切地想讓我看這張紙，卻又萬分小心的捏拿著，如同拿著生死攸關(guān)的遠(yuǎn)古寶藏地圖一般。他把它打開，放在我的手里。紙張因?yàn)榻?jīng)常的折疊已經(jīng)變得很薄很軟了。但在上面卻是一個人的名字和地址。

"This man is my friend." Mohanmmed told me."He says he will help me if I can get to Spain. One day I will find my friend and he will help me have a better life than I have here in Senegal."

穆罕默德告訴我說：“這個人是我的朋友。他說如果我能到西班牙的話，他會幫我的。總有一天我會找到我的朋友，讓他幫我創(chuàng)造一個比現(xiàn)在在塞內(nèi)加爾更好的生活。”

For Mohammed, the address on the shred of paper was a place called hope, and for a moment, that hope was between my fingers fluttering in the wind at the edge of the ocean.

對穆罕默德來說，這張廢紙上的地址是一個叫做希望的地方，但在一刻間，這個希望卻從我的指間飄進(jìn)了海邊的風(fēng)浪里。

But the hope of thousands of Senegalese rest on even flimsily the foundations of Mohammed's piece of paper. And its hope which drives so many of them to risk their lives in brave but often pathetic attempt to reach Europe.

但是成千上萬的塞內(nèi)加爾人仍然像穆罕默德那樣把微弱的希望寄托在一張薄薄的紙片上。希望驅(qū)使他們中的很多人冒著自己的生命危險，做著勇敢但通常很悲慘的去往歐洲的努力。

英語詞匯整理：

1. migrant n. 移居者;隨季節(jié)遷移的民工

eg: The government divides asylum seekers into economic migrants and genuine refugees.

政府將尋求政治庇護(hù)的人劃分為經(jīng)濟(jì)移民和真正的難民。

短語：

migrant worker 外來工

rural migrant workers 農(nóng)民工

migrant labor 打工，流動勞力

2. route n. 路線;航線

eg: The route took us through scenery quite inaccessible to the motorist. 這條路線帶我們穿越了駕車者難以抵達(dá)的風(fēng)景區(qū)。

短語：

all- red route 全紅線

en route 在途中

go the route [美國俚語]【棒球】(投手)從頭至尾投滿9局;把(某事)徹底干完

roundabout route 繞行路線

3. severely adv. 嚴(yán)重地;嚴(yán)格地

eg: My doctor is dieting me severely.

我的醫(yī)生嚴(yán)格地令我做飲食控制。

短語：

leave severely alone 嚴(yán)格律己不介入，絕不沾……的邊;絕不理會

4. edgy adj. 急躁的;尖利的

eg: She was nervous and edgy, still chain-smoking.

她緊張，急躁不安，還在一支接一支地抽煙。

同近義詞：

hot-headed / irritable adj.急躁的;尖利的;刀口銳利的

5. beckon vt. 召喚;吸引

eg: The romance of the sea beckoned the young sailors.

航海的浪漫故事吸引著年輕水手們。

短語：

beckon to sb. 向......示意

beckon with sth. 以......示意

6. crouch vt. 低頭;屈膝

eg: They did not crouch under the oppression.

他們受壓迫而不屈服。

短語：

crouch down 蹲下;趴伏

half crouch 半蹲姿勢

7. scrap n. 碎片;殘余物

eg: They wrote messages to each other on scraps of paper.

他們用一些碎紙片互傳信息。

短語：

a scrap of paper 碎紙片

do not care a scrap 一點(diǎn)也不在乎

not a scrap 一點(diǎn)也沒有

have a scrap with 與……爭吵(或打架)

8. notepad n. 筆記本;記事手冊

eg: I did some crude doodles in my notepad during a meeting.

我在會議期間在筆記本上信手涂鴉了幾筆。

同近義詞：

jotter/ pocketbook n.筆記本;記事手冊

9. extravagant adj. 奢侈的;浪費(fèi)的

eg: Extravagant people never save money.

奢侈的人攢不下錢。

短語：

extravagant demands 過度要求

extravagant price 過高的價格

10. shred n. 碎片;少量剩余

eg: Peel the carrots and cut them into shreds.

將胡蘿卜削皮，切成絲。

短語：

of shreds and patches 拼湊的，無價值的;襤褸的

tear to shreds 撕碎

in shreds 成碎片;成碎條

11. fluttering adj. 顫抖的;翅膀拍打的

eg: Her chiffon skirt was fluttering in the night breeze.

她的雪紡裙在晚風(fēng)中飄動著。

短語：

fluttering dance 翩翩飛舞

fluttering feeling 飄飄感覺

fluttering window 飄窗

12. flimsily adv. 脆弱地;柔弱地

eg: The work was done cheaply and flimsily.

這件成品做工差，而且質(zhì)料單薄。

佳句采摘：

But the hope of thousands of Senegalese rest on even flimsily the foundations of Mohammed's piece of paper.

但是成千上萬的塞內(nèi)加爾人仍然像穆罕默德那樣把微弱的希望寄托在一張薄薄的紙片上。